CN113260513B - Metering roller for an ink station assembly of a decorator and method of decorating containers using a decorator - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and method for decorating the outer surface of a metal container are provided. More specifically, the present disclosure provides a new metering roller for an inking assembly of a decorator. An adjustment mechanism is operable to move the metering roller to a first ink transfer position during decorating operations. In the first ink transfer position, the metering roller receives ink from the ink roller without contacting the ink roller. In one embodiment, the metering roll contacts and transfers ink to the transfer roll during production operations. When the decoration operation is stopped, the adjustment mechanism can move the metering roller to the second rest position, so that the metering roller does not receive ink from the ink roller.

Description

Metering rollers for ink station assemblies for decorators and for decorating containers using decorators method

References to related applications

This patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/758,063, filed November 9, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

technical field

The present disclosure generally relates to decorating machines and methods of decorating the exterior surfaces of metal containers for use in the food and beverage packaging industry. More specifically, the present disclosure provides a new metering roll for an ink station assembly of a decorator.

Background technique

Metal containers have many advantages over containers made of glass or plastic. Many consumers and dealers prefer metal containers for their convenience and light weight. The surface of metal containers is also ideal for embellishment with brand names, logos, designs, product information and other preferred signs for identification, marketing and differentiating purposes of competitor brands. Because of these and other advantages, hundreds of billions of metal containers are produced globally each year.

In order to meet the global demand for metal containers, the equipment on the metal container production line, including decorators, must operate at very high speeds. On some production lines, decorating machines can decorate more than 500 metal containers per minute. Due to the high speeds of container lines, techniques or processes that are feasible in other industries or used in conjunction with containers formed from other materials may not necessarily work at the high speeds required for metal container lines. For example, equipment and methods for decorating paper, web and board materials are different than decorating machines for three-dimensional objects such as metal containers. Additionally, inks formulated to adhere to metal containers have different characteristics than inks designed to print on paper or plastic. Accordingly, many of the operations used to form and decorate metal containers often require specialized equipment and techniques.

Metal containers are often decorated with images or signs, such as brand names, logos, product information or designs, through lithographic or offset printing processes. In US Patent 3,960,073; US Patent 4,384,518; US Patent 5,233,922; US Patent 6,550,389; US Patent 6,899,998; US Patent 9,475,276; Patent Application Publication 2014/0360394; US Patent Application Publication 2014/0373741; US Patent Application Publication 2015/0183211; US Patent Application Publication 2015/0128819; US Patent Application Publication 2015/0217559; US Patent Application Publication 2017/0008270; US Patent Application Publication 2018/0126724; WIPO Publication WO 2014/006517; WIPO Publication WO 2014/008544; WIPO Publication WO 2013/113616; WIPO Publication WO 2014/108489; Various examples of printing methods and apparatuses are disclosed in WIPO publication WO 2014/128200, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , there is generally shown a prior art decorator 2 . The decorator 2 comprises an infeed conveyor belt 4 which receives undecorated metal containers 6A and guides them towards support drums 8 . The support drum includes a pocket with a mandrel that receives the metal container. When placed on the mandrel, the metal container 6 is decorated by contact with a transfer felt 12 on a felt wheel or roller 10 . The transfer blanket 12 transfers the ink image onto the metal container 6 .

A transfer blanket 12 receives an ink image from a printing plate 16 positioned on a plate cylinder 14 . The decorator 2 may have a plurality of plate cylinders 14 each with a associated inking assembly 18 . For example, a decorator for decorating metal containers 6 typically has 4 to 9 plate cylinders 14, each with a matching inking assembly. Each inking assembly 18 transfers a color of ink to a printing plate 16 of a associated plate cylinder 14 . The final lithographic ink image is formed on the transfer blanket 12 after ink has been transferred from the printing plate 16 of each plate cylinder to the transfer blanket 12 . For example, if the decorator 2 includes six plate cylinders 14, the plates 16 of each of the six plate cylinders will transfer ink to a transfer blanket 12 to form a lithographic image.

After receiving the ink image from the transfer blanket 12 , the decorated metal container 6B may receive a protective coating from the varnish unit 42 . The varnish unit 42 may include rollers for applying a protective coating to the exterior surface of the metal container. Then, the decorated metal container 6B is carried away from the decorating machine 2 by a conveyor belt such as a pin chain (not shown).

Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of a prior art inking assembly 18 is shown. Inking assembly 18 includes a plurality of rollers that transfer ink 22 from ink reservoirs 20 to plates 16 on plate cylinder 14 . The printing plate 16 can then transfer the ink 22 to the transfer blanket 12 of the blanket cylinder 10 of the decorator 2 . Inking assembly 18 generally includes an ink tank or roller 24 that picks up ink 22 from ink tank 20 . The amount or thickness of ink picked up by the ink roller 24 is controlled by ink keys or blades (not shown) spaced along the axis of the ink roller.

Transfer roller 26 receives ink 22 from ink roller 24 . Transfer roller 26 transfers the ink to distribution or transfer roller 28 . Transfer roller 28 then transfers the ink to further downstream rollers. The downstream rolls may include a second transfer roll 30 , a first oscillating roll 32 , a third transfer roll 34 , a second oscillating roll 36 , a form roll 38 and an ink distribution roll 40 . Form roll 38 transfers ink to plate 16 of plate cylinder 14 . The ink is then transferred as an ink image onto the transfer blanket 12 and then onto the outer surface of the metal container 6 . In prior art decorators, the number of downstream rollers as well as their position and function can vary.

In operation, transfer roller 26 pivots or oscillates at high speed between two positions in which it is alternately in direct contact with one of ink roller 24 and transfer roller 28 . In a first position of contact with the ink roller 24, the ink transfer roller 26 is shown in dashed lines. The second position of the transfer roller 26 is shown in solid lines in FIG. 2 . In the second position, the transfer roller 26 is in contact with the transfer roller 28 . The transfer roller 26 is in contact with only one of the ink roller 24 and the transfer roller 28 at any given time. An actuator, such as an air cylinder, moves the transfer roller 26 between a first position and a second position. In some prior art inking assemblies 18, the transfer roller 26 may move from the first position to the second position at a rate of up to 20 or 30 times per minute. Prior art inking assemblies 18 and ink delivery are described in US Patent 9,475,276, US Patent Application Publication 2014/0373741, US Patent Application Publication 2015/0128819, US Patent Application Publication 2017/0008270 and US Patent Application Publication 2018/0126724 Some examples of rollers 26 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Oscillation of the transfer roller 26 can cause serious problems in a decorator. For example, the continued movement of the transfer roller 26 from the ink roller 24 to the transfer roller 28 causes all three rollers 24 , 26 , 28 to wear. Moving parts such as bearings, roller surfaces and actuators are subjected to constant forces and impacts caused by the impact of the transfer roller 26 with the ink roller 24 and transfer roller 28, thereby causing wear. Increased wear leads to more downtime, which adds huge production and cost losses in metal container manufacturing plants.

In the inking assembly 18 of some decorating machines 2 of the prior art, the ink transfer roller 26 is also a main heat source. When the transfer roller 26 is in contact with the ink roller 24 or the transfer roller 28, some heat is generated due to friction. The transfer roller 26 is not driven, but is configured to rotate freely due to contact with the ink roller 24 and the transfer roller 28 . However, the transfer roller 28 is driven. In some decorating machines 2 of the prior art, the transfer roller 28 rotates at a speed 50 times faster than the ink roller 24 . Consequently, the speed of the transfer roller 26 varies significantly during each oscillation. The transfer roller 26 accelerates rapidly as it comes into contact with the transfer roller 28 and then decelerates abruptly as the transfer roller moves into contact with the transfer roller 24 .

The sudden acceleration of the transfer roller 26 caused by contact with the transfer roller 28 can cause other problems besides heat and wear. Sudden acceleration of the transfer roller 26 may also throw or throw ink drops off the transfer roller 26, for example. This is known as "ink splashing". Ink splattering wastes ink and causes spots on the printing plate, thereby reducing the decorative quality of metal containers. The transfer roller 26 may also slip when in contact with the transfer roller 28 , which causes uneven ink flow through the inking assembly 18 and creates a defective decoration on the metal container 6 . This can also lead to increased downtime and production delays.

The heat generated by the transfer roller 26 may change the viscosity of the ink. Some prior art decorators 2 attempt to manage heat by cooling one or more of the rollers 28 , 30 , 38 . For example, US Patent Publication 2014/0373741 describes a passage through the shafts of three transfer rollers. A coolant, such as water, is supplied through this channel to maintain the temperature of the roll. This system adds complexity and cost to prior art decorators.

The cycle time (or frequency) at which the transfer roller 26 oscillates may be adjusted to vary the amount of ink 22 transferred to the printing plate 16 . The amount of time that the transfer roller 26 remains in contact with the ink roller 24 is called the dwell time, which also affects the amount of ink transferred to the printing plate 16 . Accordingly, the operator can adjust the cycle time and dwell time to vary the amount of ink transferred to the plate.

Producing acceptable decorations on metal containers 6 with prior art decorating machines 2 depends on the skill and dedication of the operator and requires considerable labor and associated costs. More specifically, for each production run of decorated metal containers, the decorator 2 must be set up to produce a new decoration. Setting up a decorator is a task that requires skill and depends on the experience of the operator. To set up a decorator, an operator typically must place a new printing plate 16 on each plate cylinder 14 . The inking assembly 18 associated with each plate cylinder 14 must then be adjusted to transfer the correct amount of ink 22 to its associated plate 16 . This may include adjusting the ink keys or blades of the ink tank 20 and then setting the cycle time and dwell time of the transfer roller 26 .

Unfortunately, setting the cycle time and dwell time to properly transfer an acceptable amount of ink 22 to the printing plate 16 is challenging. It often takes guesswork or trial and error for the operator to adjust the transfer roller 26 to arrive at a cycle time and dwell time setting that achieves acceptable transfer of ink to the printing plate 16 . If the dwell time is too long, excess ink may build up on the transfer roller 26 during the time the transfer roller 26 is in contact with the ink roller 24 . Excess ink can then be flung off the transfer roller as it strikes the transfer roller 28, and as the transfer roller accelerates rapidly upon contact with the transfer roller.

Another problem arises as the transfer roller 26 moves from the ink roller 24 to the transfer roller 28 while the form roller 38 transfers the ink 22 onto the printing plate 16 . The transfer roller 26 applies a force to the transfer roller 28 when the transfer roller 26 is in contact with the transfer roller 28 . This force may be transmitted to printing plate 16 as vibrations through rollers 30 - 38 downstream of transfer roller 28 . This is known as "deliver shock". If the cycle time of the transfer roller 26 is improperly adjusted, the printing plate 16 will come into contact with the form roller 38 when the transfer roller 26 strikes the transfer roller 28 . The resulting ink roll impact can cause ink 22 to be incorrectly applied to the image formed on the printing plate 16 and degrade the quality of the decoration formed by the printing plate.

There is little consistency in the dwell time and cycle time of the ink transfer roller 26 in the decorator 2 . Operators tend to set cycle times and dwell times to their liking. This lack of consistency can cause problems when operators try to set up a decorator for a production run.

These and other problems reduce the efficiency of the prior art decorator 2 and waste production time. Since some metal container lines may print over 15 different decorations per day, Decorator 2 may be down for several hours each day during setup and calibration to prepare the decorator to print different decorations. Considering that metal container lines typically operate at very high production speeds, this is considerable downtime and loss of productivity.

In addition, the motion and heat generated by the transfer roller 26 and the friction generated by the contact of the transfer roller 28 and the ink roller 24 can result in an extended shutdown of the decorator for component repair and replacement. Additionally, in 2018, the applicant spent approximately $180,000 on spare parts and overhauls related to the decorator's transfer roller 26 .

The heat and vibrations caused by the movement of the transfer rollers can also cause problems during production runs. For example, if the inking assembly of a prior art decorator is set up at the start of a production run, the heat generated by the friction of the transfer roller and the vibration of the transfer roller can alter the transfer of ink to the plate and blanket. More specifically, variations in temperature of components of prior art inking assemblies can adversely affect the transfer of ink through the inking assembly.

Because of these and other limitations of the inking assemblies of existing decorators used to decorate metal containers, there is a need for an inking assembly that is easier to operate and adjust, which produces They generate less heat and waste, require less operator time, and are less susceptible to human error, all without sacrificing productivity or image quality in high-speed beverage container production systems.

Contents of the invention

One aspect of the present invention is a new metering roller for an inking unit of a decorator for decorating the cylindrical outer surface of a metal container. The inking assembly includes an ink roller configured to receive ink from an ink tank. The ink tank includes an ink blade for controlling the thickness and volume of ink received by the ink roller. The metering roller is positioned downstream of the ink roller to selectively receive ink from the ink roller. A transfer roller is disposed downstream of the metering roller to selectively receive ink from the metering roller.

An adjustment mechanism is configured and operable to move the metering roller from a first ink transfer position to a second dwell position. In the first ink transfer position, the metering roller contacts the transfer roller and transfers ink to the transfer roller. However, the metering roller is spaced a first distance from the ink roller. This first distance creates an ink gap between the metering roller and the ink roller. The first distance is not greater than the thickness of the ink on the ink roller. Thus, although the metering roller is not in contact with the ink roller when in the first ink transfer position, the metering roller receives ink from the ink roller. In this way, the metering roller remains in the first ink transfer position, in contact with the transfer roller, but not the ink roller, while the decorator is decorating the metal container.

When the decorator is not decorating metal containers, the adjustment mechanism can move the metering roller to the second rest position. In the second dwell position, the metering roller is spaced apart from the ink roller by a second distance that is greater than the first distance. The second distance is greater than the thickness of the ink on the ink roller. Thus, in the second dwell position, the metering roller does not receive ink from the ink roller and does not transfer ink to the transfer roller.

In one embodiment, the metering roller is also spaced apart from the transfer roller when in the second dwell position. Thus, in one embodiment, the metering roller does not contact or transfer ink to the transfer roller while in the second dwell position.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is an inking assembly including a drive element operable to rotate an inking roller at a variable predetermined speed. The rotational speed of the inking roller does not influence and is not dependent on the rotational speed of the metering roller downstream of the inking roller. The drive element changes the rotational speed of the ink roller to vary the amount of ink transferred to the metering roller.

In one embodiment, the rotational speed of the ink roller is directly related to the amount of ink transferred to the metering roller. For example, a first amount of ink may be transferred to the metering roller within a predetermined period of time while the drive element rotates the ink roller at a first speed.

The drive element may also rotate the ink roller at a second speed that is faster than the first speed. A second amount of ink greater than the first amount of ink may be transferred to the metering roller within a predetermined period of time while the drive element rotates the ink roller at a second speed.

One aspect of the present disclosure is an inking assembly for a decorator. The inking assembly typically includes inking rollers, metering rollers and transfer rollers. The first drive element is configured to rotate the ink roller at a variable predetermined first speed. Optionally, the inking assembly includes a second drive element associated with the transfer roller. The second drive element can rotate the transfer roller at a second speed. The second speed may be at least equal to the first speed. In one embodiment, the second speed is faster than the first speed. In another embodiment, the second speed may be slower than the first speed.

The inking assembly may optionally further include an adjustment mechanism. The adjustment mechanism of the inking assembly can move the metering roller from a first ink transfer position to a second dwell position. In one embodiment, the metering roller is configured to rotate freely about an axis. Optionally, said axis is defined by a shaft. In the first ink transfer position, the metering roller is in contact with, and receives rotational force from, the transfer roller. In one embodiment, the metering roller does not contact or receive rotational force from the ink roller.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions configured to cause a processor of a control system to automatically adjust components of an inking assembly of a decorator of an embodiment of the present disclosure. The instructions include instructions for causing the processor to perform one or more of the following operations: (1) receive information from a sensor related to a metal container decorated by a decorator; (2) determine whether the decoration is acceptable or defective; (3) if the trim is defective, the instructions cause the processor to determine whether a component of the inking assembly can be adjusted to correct the defect; and (4) send a signal to change the setting of one or more components of the inking assembly, thereby changing The amount of ink transferred to subsequent metal containers.

The control system may send a signal to at least one of an actuator of the ink assembly associated with the ink blade, the first drive element, the adjustment mechanism, and the second drive element. This signal can cause the actuator to change the position of the ink blade relative to the ink roller. The first drive element is operable to vary the rotational speed of the ink roller in response to receiving a signal from the control system. Similarly, the second drive element may vary the rotational speed of at least one of the transfer roller and the metering roller in response to a signal sent from the control system. The control system may optionally send a signal to the adjustment mechanism to vary the distance between the metering roller and the ink roller.

One aspect of the present disclosure is an inking assembly for a decorator configured to decorate an exterior surface of a metal container. The inking assembly includes: (1) an ink tank for providing an ink source; (2) an ink roller for receiving ink from the ink tank; (3) a first drive element configured to rotate the ink roller at a predetermined speed; 4) a metering roller having a first ink transfer position where the metering roller receives ink from the ink roller and a second dwell position where the metering roller does not receive ink from the ink roller; and (5 ) The transfer roll located downstream of the metering roll.

In the first ink transfer position, the metering roller is spaced a first distance from the ink roller. The first distance is not greater than the thickness of the ink on the ink roller.

In one embodiment, the first distance is at least about 0.002 inches. The first distance may be less than about 0.045 inches. Accordingly, the first distance may be between about 0.002 inches and about 0.045 inches.

Additionally, in one embodiment, the metering roller is in continuous contact with and transfers ink to the transfer roller at the first ink transfer position. While the decorator is decorating the metal container, the metering roller may remain in the first ink transfer position, in contact with the transfer roller, but not with the ink roller. More specifically, the metering roller is not in contact with the ink roller when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position or when the metering roller is in the second dwell position. However, the metering roller remains in the first ink transfer position for continuous contact with the transfer roller while the decorator is decorating the metal container.

In the second dwell position, the metering roller is spaced apart from the ink roller by a second distance that is greater than the first distance. In one embodiment, the second distance is at least greater than the thickness of the ink on the ink roller.

Alternatively, the second distance may be at least approximately 0.045 inches or at least approximately 0.090 inches. In another embodiment, the second distance is less than about 0.3 inches, or between about 0.045 inches and about 0.3 inches.

Furthermore, in one embodiment, the metering roller is spaced a predetermined third distance from the transfer roller in the second dwell position. Thus, in one embodiment, the metering roll does not contact the transfer roll in the second dwell position.

Optionally, the third distance may be greater than about 0.03 inches. In one embodiment, the third distance is less than about 0.1 inches. More specifically, the third distance is optionally between about 0.03 inches and about 0.1 inches.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, the axis of the metering roll is at a fixed distance from the axis of the transfer roll. Thus, the metering roller is in contact with the transfer roller both at the first ink transfer position and at the second dwell position.

The inking assembly may also include an optional adjustment mechanism associated with the metering roller. The adjustment mechanism is configured to move the metering roller from a first ink transfer position to a second dwell position.

In one embodiment, said adjustment mechanism is interconnected with the shaft of the metering roller. Thus, in one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism moves the axial direction of the metering roller away from the axis of the ink roller to transfer the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position. The axis of the metering roller is approximately parallel to the axis of the ink roller and the axis of the transfer roller.

The axis of the ink roller and the axis of the transfer roller define a first plane. In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism is operable to move the axis of the metering roller transversely to the first plane. Optionally, the adjustment mechanism may move the axis of the metering roller approximately vertically relative to the first plane.

In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism moves the axis of the metering roller away from the first plane when transferring the metering roller to the second dwell position. Alternatively or additionally, the adjustment mechanism may move the axis of the metering roller towards the first plane when transferring the metering roller to the first ink transfer position.

Optionally, the adjustment mechanism moves the axial direction of the metering roller away from the axis of the transfer roller to transfer the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second rest position. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the distance between the axis of the metering roller and the axis of the transfer roller does not change when the adjustment mechanism transfers the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position. In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism rotates the metering roller about the axis of the transfer roller when transferring the metering roller between the first ink transfer position and the second dwell position.

The inking assembly optionally includes a plurality of ink blades. The ink blades are configured to regulate the amount of ink received by the ink roller such that the ink thickness on the ink roller is adjustable.

In one embodiment, the ink blade can be positioned such that the ink thickness on the ink roller is less than about 0.040 inches, or less than about 0.033 inches. In one embodiment, the ink blade can be adjusted to contact the ink roller. Thus, by varying the position of the ink blade relative to the ink roller, the thickness of the ink on the ink roller can be adjusted to a thickness between about 0.0 inches and about 0.040 inches.

In one embodiment, the inking assembly further includes a first drive element configured to rotate the ink roller at a first predetermined speed. When the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position, the amount of ink transferred to the metering roller can be increased by driving the first driving element to increase the rotational speed of the ink roller. Similarly, reducing the first predetermined rotational speed of the ink roller may reduce the amount of ink transferred to the metering roller.

In one embodiment, said first drive element is configured to rotate the ink roller only when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position. Thus, the first drive element does not rotate the ink roller when the metering roller is in the second rest position.

Optionally, the inking assembly further includes a second driving element. The second drive element is configured to rotate the transfer roller at a second predetermined speed. The second predetermined speed may be less than, equal to or greater than the first predetermined rotational speed of the ink roller.

In one embodiment, the second drive element is configured to rotate the transfer roller only when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position. Thus, the second drive element does not rotate the transfer roller when the metering roller is in the second rest position.

In one embodiment, the metering roller is configured to rotate in response to a force received from the transfer roller when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position. Alternatively or additionally, in another embodiment, the second drive element is configured to rotate the metering roller at a speed at least equal to or faster than the rotational speed of the ink roller.

Optionally, the transfer roller is configured to rotate in a first direction. The transfer roller can drive the metering roller to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

In one embodiment, the ink roller is configured to rotate in a first direction. Thus, in one embodiment, the metering roller rotates in the opposite direction to the ink roller. More specifically, the inking roller rotates in a first direction and the metering roller rotates in a second direction.

Or, in another embodiment, the ink roller is configured to rotate in the second direction. Thus, in one embodiment, the metering roller rotates in the same direction as the ink roller. Specifically, both the metering roller and the ink roller can rotate in a second direction.

In one embodiment, the decorator includes a printing plate on a plate cylinder. The plate is configured to transfer ink to a transfer blanket located on the blanket cylinder of the decorator.

In one embodiment, the inking assembly further comprises at least one intermediate roller located downstream of the transfer roller. The intermediate roll is configured to transfer ink from the transfer roll to the plate. The intermediate roll is in contact with the transfer roll and plate cylinder.

Optionally, in another embodiment, the inking assembly includes a plurality of intermediate rollers located between the transfer roller and the plate cylinder. In one embodiment, the plurality of intermediate rollers may include at least one of a second transfer roller, a third transfer roller, a first oscillating roller, a second oscillating roller, a form roller, and an ink distribution roller. At least one of the plurality of intermediate rolls is configured to be in contact with the transfer roll. Additionally, at least one of the plurality of intermediate rolls is configured to contact the printing plate. The plate is operable to transfer ink to a transfer blanket. The transfer blanket can then transfer the ink to the metal container to decorate the outer surface of the metal container with the ink.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method of decorating an outer surface of a container using an inking assembly of a decorator, the method comprising: (1) providing an ink tank having an ink source; (2) providing an ink roller to receive ink from the ink tank ink; (3) providing a metering roller downstream of the ink roller; (4) providing an adjustment mechanism configured to move the metering roller from a first ink transfer position to a second dwell position; (5) providing a transfer roller downstream of the metering roller (6) providing a plate cylinder with a plate downstream of the transfer roller; (7) using an adjustment mechanism to move the metering roller to the first ink transfer position so that the metering roller receives ink from the ink roller and transfers the ink to the transfer roller (8) transfer the ink from the transfer roller to the printing plate; (9) transfer the ink from the printing plate to the transfer felt fixed to the felt wheel of the decorator; and (10) transfer the ink from the transfer felt Transfer to the outer surface of the container.

In the first ink transfer position, the metering roller is spaced a first distance from the ink roller. The first distance is not greater than the thickness of the ink on the ink roller.

In one embodiment, the thickness of the ink on the ink roller is between about 0.0 inches and about 0.040 inches. Accordingly, the first distance may be between about 0.01 inches and about 0.40 inches. The first distance defines a first ink gap.

In the second rest position, the metering roller is spaced apart from the ink roller by a second distance. The second distance is greater than the first distance.

The second distance is greater than the thickness of the ink on the ink roller. In one embodiment, the second distance is greater than about 0.033 inches, or greater than about 0.040 inches. For example, the second distance can be between about 0.033 inches and about 0.3 inches.

The metering roller is in continuous contact with the transfer roller when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position. In one embodiment, the metering roller and the transfer roller are arranged at a fixed distance apart. Thus, the metering roller is in contact with the transfer roller both at the first ink transfer position and at the second dwell position.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, the position of the metering roll relative to the transfer roll is adjustable. Thus, in one embodiment the metering roller is spaced a predetermined third distance from the transfer roller in the second dwell position such that the metering roller does not come into contact with the transfer roller.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises stopping the rotation of the ink roller when the metering roller is in the second dwell position. Optionally, the method may include stopping the rotation of the transfer roll when the metering roll is in the second dwell position.

The method may optionally include actuating an adjustment mechanism to transfer the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position. In this way, the transfer of ink to the printing plate is interrupted.

In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism moves the axial direction of the metering roller away from the axis of the ink roller to transfer the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position. Optionally, the adjustment mechanism moves the axial direction of the metering roller away from the axis of the transfer roller to transfer the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second rest position. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the distance between the axis of the metering roller and the axis of the transfer roller does not change when the adjustment mechanism transfers the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position.

The axis of the ink roller and the axis of the transfer roller define a first plane. In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism moves the axis of the metering roller transversely to the first plane as the metering roller moves from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position.

Alternatively or additionally, the method may include increasing the rotational speed of the ink roller to increase the amount of ink transferred to the printing plate. Alternatively, the method may include reducing the rotational speed of the ink rollers to reduce the amount of ink transferred to the printing plate.

Alternatively, the ink roller may rotate at a faster speed than the metering roller. In another embodiment, the rotational speed of the ink roller is less than the rotational speed of the metering roller.

The method may further include rotating the transfer roller in a first direction. In one embodiment, the metering roller rotates in response to contact with the transfer roller. Thus, the metering roller is rotatable in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

The method may include rotating the ink roller in a first direction. Thus, the ink roller can rotate in a first direction while the metering roller rotates in a second direction.

In another embodiment, the method includes rotating the ink roller in a second direction. Thus, both the ink roller and the metering roller can rotate in the second direction.

Optionally, the method further includes moving the ink blade relative to the ink roller. In this way, the thickness of the ink on a part of the ink roller can be adjusted. In one embodiment, the ink blade may be spaced up to about 0.045 inches from the surface of the ink roller. In this way, the thickness of the ink on the roller can be up to about 0.045 inches. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the second distance between the metering roller and the ink roller is greater than about 0.045 inches when the metering roller is in the second dwell position.

In one embodiment, transferring ink from the transfer roll to the plate includes transferring ink from the transfer roll to an intermediate roll. The intermediate roll is located between the transfer roll and the plate cylinder. Optionally, the inking assembly may include a plurality of intermediate rollers positioned between the transfer roller and the plate cylinder.

The method may also include collecting data of decoration formed on the outer surface of the metal container using a sensor. The control system can use the data received from the sensors to determine if the trim is defective. If the decoration is defective, the control system can send a signal to the inking unit to change the amount of ink transferred to the plate.

In one embodiment, the control system can determine when the ink density in the decoration is insufficient. In response, the control system may send a signal to the inking assembly to increase the amount of ink transferred to the plate. This signal can cause the first drive to increase the rotational speed of the ink roller so that the ink roller can transfer more ink to the metering roller. Alternatively or additionally, the signal may cause the adjustment mechanism to move the metering roller closer to the ink roller so that the metering roller collects more ink from the ink roller. In one embodiment, the signal may cause an actuator associated with an ink key of the ink tank to move away from the ink roller, causing the thickness of ink on the ink roller to increase.

Alternatively, the control system can determine if the ink density in the decoration is too high. In response, the control system may send a signal to the inking assembly to reduce the amount of ink transferred to the plate. This signal can cause the first drive to reduce the rotational speed of the ink roller, so that the ink roller transfers less ink to the metering roller. Alternatively or additionally, the signal may cause the adjustment mechanism to move the metering roller away from the ink roller such that the metering roller collects less ink from the ink roller. In one embodiment, the signal may cause an actuator associated with an ink key of the ink tank to move in a direction closer to the ink roller such that the thickness of ink on the ink roller decreases.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a metering roller for use in an inking assembly of a decorating machine for selectively transferring ink between an ink roller and a transfer roller for use in container decorating equipment. The outer surface of the metal container is decorated. The metering roll typically includes, but is not limited to: (1) a cylinder having an outer surface adapted to receive ink from the ink roll and transfer the ink to the transfer roll; (2) a shaft extending through the cylinder supported on at one or more of the first end and the second end; and (3) an adjustment mechanism operatively coupled to the shaft configured to move the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position, in the first ink transfer position, the metering roller is in contact with the transfer roller located downstream of the metering roller, and in the second dwell position, the metering roller is not in contact with the transfer roller. In the first ink transfer position, the metering roller can receive ink from the ink roller and subsequently transfer ink to the transfer roller.

The cylinder is configured to rotate about an axis. More specifically, in one embodiment, the metering roller rotates in response to a force received from contact with the transfer roller when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position. Alternatively or additionally, the metering roller may be driven by a second drive unit.

During operation, the metering roller is in a first ink transfer position with an outer surface a first distance from the ink roller. In the first ink transfer position, the outer surface of the metering roller is in contact with the transfer roller.

The first distance is defined by a first gap between the outer surface of the metering roller and the outer surface of the ink roller. The first distance may be between about 0.002 inches and about 0.05 inches.

Optionally, the first distance may be adjusted during operation of the decorator to vary the amount of ink transferred from the ink roller to the metering roller. More specifically, the adjustment mechanism may move the metering roller closer to the ink roller when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position. In this way, the amount of ink that the metering roller receives from the ink roller can be increased. Alternatively, the adjustment mechanism may move the metering roller further away from the ink roller to reduce the amount of ink the metering roller receives from the ink roller when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position.

The adjustment mechanism can move the metering roller to the second dwell position to interrupt the transfer of ink to the transfer roller. In the second rest position, the outer surface of the metering roller is at a second distance from the ink roller, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

The second distance is defined by a second gap between the outer surface of the metering roller and the outer surface of the ink roller. In one embodiment, the second distance is greater than the thickness of the ink on the ink roller. The second distance may be greater than about 0.040 inches, or greater than about 0.045 inches. Optionally, the second distance is at least approximately 0.090 inches. In one embodiment, the second distance is between about 0.040 inches and about 0.30 inches.

In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism moves the axial direction of the metering roller away from the axis of the ink roller to move the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position. In another embodiment, when the adjustment mechanism moves the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position, the adjustment mechanism moves the axial direction of the metering roller away from the axis of the transfer roller.

The outer surface of the cylinder includes one or more of rubber, plastic, ceramic and metal (eg steel). In one embodiment, the outer surface of the cylinder may include grooves, knurling, or cross-hatching. The outer surface may also include dimples for receiving ink from the ink roller. Alternatively, the outer surface of the cylinder may be substantially smooth.

These and other advantages will become apparent from a reading of the present disclosure. The embodiments, objects and configurations described above are neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. In the Summary section as well as the Figures and Detailed Description, the disclosure is described in various levels of detail, and the inclusion or absence of specific elements or components in the Summary section is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent upon reading the Detailed Description, especially in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

It will be appreciated that other embodiments can be realized by using one or more of the features described above or detailed below, alone or in combination. Furthermore, the Summary section is neither intended nor should be construed as representing the full scope of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that other embodiments can be realized by using one or more of the features described above or detailed below, alone or in combination. For example, it is contemplated that various features and elements shown and/or described with respect to one embodiment or figure may be combined with or substituted for features or elements of other embodiments or figures, whether explicitly stated herein or not. Such combinations or substitutions are shown or described.

Although containers are generally described herein as "metal containers," "beverage containers," "cans," and "containers," it should be understood that the present invention may be used to decorate containers of any size or shape, including, but not limited to, beverage cans, Beverage bottles, and aerosol containers. Accordingly, the term "container" is intended to cover any type or shape of container for any product and is not limited to beverage containers such as may be soft drink cans or beer cans. The container can also be in any state of manufacture and can be formed by a thinning stretch process or an impact extrusion process. Thus, the present invention can be used to decorate a "cup" that is subsequently formed into a finished container, a "preform" that is subsequently formed into a metal bottle, or a "tube" that is formed into the body of an aerosol container.

As used herein, the term "metal" refers to any metallic material that can be used to form a container, including but not limited to aluminum, steel, tin, and any combination thereof. It should be understood, however, that the apparatus and methods of the present invention may be used in various forms and embodiments to decorate containers formed of any material, including paper, plastic, and glass.

As used herein, the phrases "at least one," "one or more," and "and/or" are open-ended expressions that operate both conjointly and disjunctively. For example, "at least one of A, B and C", "at least one of A, B or C", "one or more of A, B and C", "one of A, B or C or Each of the expressions "a plurality", and "A, B and/or C" means only A, only B, only C, there are A and B, there are A and C, there are B and C, or there are A, B and C.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numerical values expressed in the specification and claims expressing quantities, dimensions, conditions, ratios, ranges, etc. are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about" or "approximately". Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, dimensions, conditions, ratios, ranges, etc., used in the specification and claims may be increased or decreased by approximately 5% for satisfactory results. Furthermore, all ranges stated herein may be reduced to any sub-range or portion of that range, or to any value within that range, without departing from the invention.

As used herein, the term "an" entity means one or more entities. Thus, the terms "a", "one or more" and "at least one" are used interchangeably herein.

Use of the words "comprising", "including" or "having" and conjugations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents, as well as additional items. Accordingly, the terms "comprising", "including" or "having" and variations thereof are used interchangeably herein.

It should be understood that the term "device" as used herein is to be construed in the broadest possible sense in accordance with 35 U.S.C. Section 112(f). Accordingly, claims incorporating the term "means" shall cover all structures, materials, or measures set forth herein, and all equivalents thereof. Furthermore, the structures, materials or measures and their equivalents shall include all such things described in the Summary of the Invention, Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description, Abstract, and the claims themselves.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate some embodiments of the disclosed system and, together with the general description of the disclosure above and the detailed description of the drawings below, serve to explain the disclosed Principles of systems and devices.

Fig. 1 is the side view elevation of the decoration machine of prior art;

2 is a schematic diagram of a prior art inking assembly of a prior art decorator;

3 is a side elevational view of an inking roller, a metering roller, and a transfer roller of an inking assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

4 is a side perspective view of a portion of an inking assembly showing an inking roller, a metering roller, and a transfer roller according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a portion of the inking assembly of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a front elevational view of a portion of the inking assembly of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a top perspective view of an ink reservoir of one embodiment of the present disclosure, generally showing an ink blade associated with an ink roller of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a decorator of the present disclosure, showing generally an inking assembly including a metering roller of an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Figure 9 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the control system of the present invention.

The drawings may be, but are not necessarily drawn to scale. In certain instances, details that are not necessary to an understanding of the disclosure or that obscure other details may be omitted. It should be understood, of course, that this disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments shown herein. It will be appreciated that other embodiments can be realized by using one or more of the features described above or detailed below, alone or in combination. For example, it is conceivable that various features and means shown and/or described with respect to one embodiment may be combined with or substituted for features or means of other embodiments, whether or not explicitly shown or described in the present invention This combination or substitution.

The following is a list of components of various embodiments of the present disclosure as shown in the figures:

Reference sign Component

2 decoration machine

4 Feed conveyor belt

6 metal containers

6A Undecorated metal receptacles

6B Decorated Metal Containers

8 Support rollers or conveyor wheels

10 felt cylinders

12 transfer blanket

14 plate cylinder

16 plates

18 Prior Art Inking Assembly

20 ink tanks

22 inks

24 ink roller

26 ink transfer roller

28 transfer roller

30 Second transfer roller

32 First vibration roller

34 Third transfer roller

36 Second oscillatory roller

38 Relying roller

40 ink distribution roller

42 Varnish unit

44 decorating machine

46 Inking Assembly

48 ink tank

50 ink scrapers

52 Actuator

54 Position sensor or potentiometer

56 ink roller

57 Shaft of ink roller

58 First drive element

60 metering rollers

62 Shaft of metering roller

64 clearance

66 First ink transfer position

68 Second stop position

70 first distance

72 second distance

74 Regulating mechanism

76 transfer roller

77 Shaft of transfer roller

78 frames

79 First plane between the shafts of the ink roller and the transfer roller

80 Third distance between transfer roller and metering roller

82 second gap

84 Second drive element

86 intermediate roll

88 support elements

90 control system

92 bus

94 CPUs

96 input device

98 output device

100 storage devices

102 computer readable storage medium reader

104 Communication systems

106 work memory

108 Processing Acceleration Units

110 database

112 network

114 remote storage device/database

116 operating system

118 other codes

120 sensors

122 lights

124 Actuators

126 axes

Detailed ways

In order to facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure by those skilled in the art to which it most pertains, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is hereby described with reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, which illustrate the considerations so far considered. The best mode of carrying out the present invention. The exemplary embodiments described in detail herein are not intended to describe all the different forms and modifications that can implement the invention. Thus, the embodiments described herein are illustrative, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that they can be modified in many ways within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-8 , an inking assembly 46 of one embodiment of the present disclosure is generally shown. Inking assembly 46 generally includes an ink tank 48 configured to hold ink supply 22 . Ink roller 56 is associated with ink tank 48 .

Referring now to FIG. 7 , the ink tank 48 includes an ink blade 50 that is independently adjustable relative to an ink roller 56 . Ink blade 50 controls the amount (or thickness) of ink picked up by ink roller 56 . The ink blades are independently movable to increase or decrease the thickness of the ink 22 picked up by the ink roller 56 . For example, the ink blade 50 can be moved away from the ink roller to increase the thickness of the ink picked up by the ink roller. Alternatively, the ink scraper 50 can move closer to the ink roller 56 to reduce the gap between the ink scraper and the ink roller. In this way, the amount of ink 22 transferred to ink roller 56 can be reduced. In one embodiment, ink blade 50 may be adjusted such that ink roller 56 may receive ink coating 22 from ink reservoir 48 up to a thickness of about 0.045 inches. More specifically, in one embodiment, the ink thickness on the ink roller 56 can be adjusted to a thickness of between about 0.0 inches and about 0.045 inches by varying the position of the ink blade 50 relative to the ink roller. In one embodiment, the ink blade can be adjusted to contact the ink roller.

In one embodiment, ink tank 48 includes an actuator 52 associated with each ink blade 50 . Each actuator 52 is configured to move the associated ink blade 50 relative to the ink roller 56 . Actuator 52 may be controlled by control system 90 of the present disclosure.

Optionally, each ink blade 50 has an associated position sensor 54 . A position sensor 54 may determine the position of the ink blade 50 relative to the ink roller 56 . Alternatively or additionally, the position sensor 54 may detect and measure the movement of the ink blade. In one embodiment, the position sensor 54 may provide the collected data about the ink blade to the control system 90 . Ink tank 48, ink wiper 50, actuator 52, and position sensor 54 may be the same as or similar to those described in US Patent Application Publication 2018/0024076 or US Patent Application Publication 2018/0201011, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Referring to FIG. 8, optionally, the first drive element 58 is associated with the ink roller. The first drive element 58 can rotate the ink roller 56 at a predetermined first speed. The ink roller 56 may receive ink from the ink tank 48 as the ink roller 56 rotates through the ink 22 .

The first drive element 58 may be an electric motor. Optionally, the first drive element is a servo drive. Suitable drive elements are well known to those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, the first drive element 58 may be controlled by a control system 90 . Optionally, first drive element 58 may rotate ink roller 56 at a speed of up to about 100 revolutions per minute (RPM). In one embodiment, the first drive element 58 can rotate the ink roller at a speed of up to about 500 RPM. In another embodiment, the first drive element rotates the ink roller 56 at a speed between about 10 RPM and about 500 RPM. In one embodiment, the first drive element 58 is interconnected with a shaft 57 about which the ink roller 56 rotates. Optionally, the first drive element 58 includes one or more of gears, chains, belts and shafts interconnected with the shaft.

In one embodiment, the rotational speed of the ink roller 56 is directly related to the amount of ink 22 that the ink roller 56 can transfer to the downstream metering roller 60 within a predetermined period of time. For example, when first drive element 58 rotates ink roller 56 at a first speed, a first quantity of ink 22 is picked up by the ink roller and may be transferred to metering roller 60 within a predetermined period of time. As first drive element 58 rotates ink roller 56 at a second speed that is faster than the first speed, a second amount of ink 22 is picked up by the ink roller and may be transferred to metering roller 60 within a predetermined period of time. Because the ink roller 56 rotates faster at the second speed, more of the outer surface of the ink roller 56 passes through the ink in the ink tank 48 to pick up the ink than when the ink roller 56 rotates at the first speed. Thus, when rotating at the second speed, ink roller 56 receives and is able to transfer more ink 22 within a predetermined period of time than when rotating at the first speed.

Metering roller 60 is located downstream of ink roller 56 and may selectively receive ink 22 from ink roller 56 . The metering roller 60 has a substantially cylindrical shape. Ink from the ink roller collects on the outer surface of the metering roller. The outer surface is cylindrical. In one embodiment, metering roller 60 is configured to freely rotate about an axis. This axis may be defined by shaft 62 .

Alternatively, metering roller 60 may receive ink 22 from ink roller 56 without contacting the ink roller. More specifically, in one embodiment, metering roller 60 is separated from ink roller 56 by gap 64, as generally shown in FIG. In another embodiment, the outer cylindrical surface of metering roller 60 never contacts the outer surface of ink roller 56 .

The outer surface of metering roller 60 is adapted to receive ink from ink roller 56 . In one embodiment, the outer surface of the metering roll comprises a resilient or elastomeric material. Optionally, the outer surface may comprise one or more of rubber, plastic, ceramic and metal (eg steel). In one embodiment, the outer surface of the cylinder comprises grooves, knurling or cross-hatching. Alternatively or in addition, the outer surface may also include dimples that receive ink from the ink roller. Alternatively, the outer surface of the cylinder of metering roll 60 may be substantially smooth.

The ink roller 56 has a first diameter, the metering roller 60 has a second diameter, and the transfer roller 76 has a third diameter. In one embodiment, the first diameter is greater than the second diameter. Alternatively, the first diameter is smaller than the second diameter. Alternatively, the first diameter and the second diameter may be approximately equal.

In another embodiment, the first diameter is greater than the third diameter. Alternatively, the first diameter is smaller than the third diameter. Alternatively, the first and third diameters may be approximately equal.

In one embodiment, the second diameter is greater than the third diameter. Alternatively, the second diameter is smaller than the third diameter. Alternatively, the second diameter and the third diameter may be approximately equal.

The adjustment mechanism 74 is configured to vary the gap 64 by moving the metering roller 60 from the first ink transfer position 66 to the second dwell position 68 . In one embodiment, adjustment mechanism 74 may be controlled by control system 90 .

Metering roller 60 is generally shown in solid line in FIG. 8 at first ink transfer location 66 . At the first ink transfer position 66 , the gap 64A defines a first distance 70 (shown generally in FIG. 5 ) that separates the metering roller 60 from the ink roller 56 . The first distance 70 is no greater than the thickness of the ink 22 on the ink roller 56 . Thus, although metering roller 60 is not in contact with ink roller 56 at first ink transfer location 66 in one embodiment, metering roller 60 may receive ink from the ink roller. The metering roller 60 generally remains in the first ink transfer position 66 when the decorator 44 is decorating the metal container 6 during a decorating operation.

Gap 64A between metering roller 60 and ink roller 56 reduces or eliminates friction and reduces heat transfer of ink to metering roller 60 during a decorating operation. Gap 64A also eliminates wear on metering roller 60 and ink roller 56 because they do not contact each other.

In contrast, in the decorating machine 2 of the prior art, the ink transfer roller 26 repeatedly oscillates, contacts and disengages with the ink roller 24 and the transfer roller 28 during the decoration operation. The frequent contact of the transfer roller with the ink and transfer rollers results in severe wear of all three rollers 24, 26, 28 of the prior art decorator.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first distance 70A may be at least approximately 0.002 inches. In one embodiment, the first distance 70B may be less than about 0.045 inches. Optionally, when in the first ink transfer position, adjustment mechanism 74 may move metering roller 60 such that the first distance is between about 0.002 inches and about 0.05 inches.

As first distance 70 decreases, the amount of ink 22 transferred to metering roller 60 generally increases. Alternatively, as first distance 70 increases, the amount of ink 22 transferred to metering roller 60 generally decreases. In this manner, adjustment mechanism 74 is operable to vary the amount of ink 22 transferred to metering roller 60 .

In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 74 generally includes an actuator 124 configured to move the metering roller. The actuator may be a low voltage DC motor. In another embodiment, the actuator 124 includes a solenoid interconnected with the metering roller 60 . Alternatively or additionally, the adjustment mechanism 74 may optionally include one or more of a gear, a lever, and a shaft interconnected with the shaft 62 of the metering roll 60 .

Optionally, the adjustment mechanism 74 includes a shaft 126 associated with the metering roller 60 . In one embodiment, the shaft is interconnected with a frame 78 supporting the shaft 62 of the metering roll 60 , as generally shown in FIG. 3 .

Alternatively, the shaft 126 of the actuator may be directly coupled to the shaft 62 as shown in FIG. 4 . Actuator 124 may move shaft 126 to change the position of metering roll 60 .

The metering roller 60 is generally shown in phantom in FIG. 8 in a second dwell position 68 . The adjustment mechanism 74 may move the metering roller 60 to the second dwell position 68 when the decorator 44 is not decorating the metal container 6 . In second dwell position 68 , metering roller 60 is spaced from ink roller 56 by a second distance 72 that defines a gap 64B that is greater than gap 64A. The second distance 72 (shown in FIG. 5 ) is greater than the first distance 70 and is also greater than the thickness of the ink 22 on the ink roller 56 . Thus, in the second dwell position 68 the metering roller 60 does not receive ink 22 from the ink roller 56 .

The second distance 72 may be at least about 0.045 inches, about 0.06 inches, or greater than about 0.090 inches, as shown in FIG. 5 . In one embodiment, the second distance is between about 0.045 inches and about 0.40 inches.

The transfer roll 76 is located downstream of the metering roll 60 . Metering roller 60 transfers the ink to a transfer roller. Thus, the metering roller is separated from the plate cylinder 14 of the inking assembly 46 by at least the transfer roller 76 . In one embodiment, at least one intermediate roll 86 is located between transfer roll 76 and plate cylinder 14 . Optionally, a plurality of intermediate rolls 86 are located between transfer roll 76 and plate cylinder 14 .

The transfer roller 76 is rotatably driven by the second drive element 84 . The second drive element 84 may be interconnected with the transfer roller 76 . In one embodiment, the transfer roller 76 receives rotational force from one or more of a belt, gear, shaft, and chain driven by the second drive element. Optionally, the second drive element 84 is interconnected with the shaft 77 of the transfer roller. Alternatively, the second drive member 84 may rotate the transfer roller 76 by applying a rotational force to at least one intermediate roller 86 of the upper ink assembly 46 . Driven intermediate roller 86 may transmit rotational force to transfer roller 76 . More specifically, in one embodiment, the second drive element may drive the first oscillating roller 32 of the intermediate roller 86 .

The second drive element 84 may be the same as or different from the first drive element 58 . Optionally, the second drive element 84 is an electric motor. The second drive element can be a servo drive.

Transfer roller 76 may selectively receive ink 22 from metering roller 60 at first ink transfer location 66 . In one embodiment, metering roller 60 is configured to contact transfer roller 76 at first ink transfer location 66 . In this way, the metering roller can transfer the ink 22 to the transfer roller 76 .

Metering roller 60 receives rotational force from transfer roller 76 during contact with transfer roller 76 . This rotational force causes metering roller 60 to rotate about an axis defined by shaft 62 .

Optionally, the second drive element 84 can rotate the transfer roller 76 such that the metering roller 60 can rotate at a speed greater than 50 RPM (eg, up to at least about 500 RPM). In one embodiment, the second drive element 84 rotates the transfer roller 76 at a speed between about 25 RPM and about 700 RPM. In another embodiment, contact between the metering roller and the transfer roller 76 causes the metering roller 60 to rotate at a speed at least equal to the rotational speed of the ink roller 56 . Alternatively, the second drive element 84 may adjust the rotational speed of the metering roller to be less than, equal to, or greater than the rotational speed of the ink roller.

In one embodiment, the second drive element 84 is configured to rotate the transfer roller 76 in a first direction, as generally shown in FIG. 8 . Transfer roller 76 may drive metering roller 60 to rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction.

In one embodiment, the first drive element 58 is configured to rotate the ink roller 56 in a first direction. Thus, in one embodiment, metering roller 60 rotates in the opposite direction as ink roller 56 . More specifically, inker roller 56 rotates in a first direction and metering roller 60 rotates in a second direction.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, the first drive element 58 is configured to rotate the ink roller 56 in the second direction. Thus, in one embodiment, the metering roller rotates in the same direction as the ink roller. Specifically, metering roller 60 and ink roller 56 may both rotate in a second direction.

The transfer roller 76 may transfer the ink 22 to a plurality of intermediate rollers 86 located downstream of the transfer roller. At least one intermediate roller 86 can transfer the ink 22 to the printing plate 16 fixed on the plate cylinder 14 . In one embodiment, form roller 38 transfers ink 22 to plate 16 .

When the decorator 44 is performing decoration operations, the printing plate 16 can transfer ink to the transfer blanket 12 on the blanket cylinder 10 . The transfer blanket 12 then transfers the ink to the undecorated metal container 6A. In one embodiment, the decorator 44 includes a support member 88 for moving the undecorated metal container 6A into contact with the transfer felt. The support member 88 may include a plurality of stations to receive and support the metal container 6 in a predetermined position relative to the felt cylinder 10 . In one embodiment, the station of the support member 88 includes a mandrel that supports the metal container. Suitable support elements are well known to those skilled in the art.

Intermediate roller 86 may be the same as or similar to rollers 30 - 40 downstream of transfer roller 28 of prior art inking assembly 18 as shown in FIG. 2 . For example, FIG. 8 generally illustrates one embodiment of the inking assembly 46 of the present disclosure, wherein the intermediate roller 86 may include, but is not limited to, the second transfer roller 30, the first oscillating roller 32, the third oscillating roller 34, the second oscillating roller One or more of roller 36 , form roller 38 and ink distribution roller 40 .

The arrangement and number of intermediate rollers 86 of the inking assembly 46 of the present disclosure may vary. In one embodiment, the inking assembly does not include any intermediate rollers 86 . In another embodiment, the inking assembly includes an intermediate roller 86 . Alternatively, in another embodiment, the inking assembly 46 has two intermediate rollers.

The metering roller 60 remains in the first ink transfer position 66 while the decorator 44 is decorating the metal container 6 . In one embodiment, the metering roller 60 is in continuous contact with the transfer roller 76 when in the first ink transfer position 66 .

In contrast, as mentioned above, when the prior art decorator 2 decorates the container, the ink delivery roller 26 of the prior art inking assembly 18 oscillates rapidly, contacts and disengages with the transfer roller 28 . Accordingly, the metering roll 60 of the present invention does not experience rapid acceleration and deceleration as the transfer roll 26 of the prior art does.

The continuous contact of the metering roll 60 with the transfer roll 76 reduces friction-induced wear and heat during decorating operations as compared to prior art inking assemblies 18 . In addition, the metering roller 60 may rotate at a substantially uniform speed during decorating operations, thereby reducing or eliminating ink flying and jetting within the inking assembly 46 of the present disclosure. In this way, the inking assembly 46 of the present disclosure wastes less ink than the inking assembly 18 of the prior art. Elimination of ink flying and ink throwing also reduces or eliminates the accidental or inadvertent transfer of ink droplets to the plate 16 and blanket 12 of the decorator 44, thereby improving the quality of the decoration formed on the metal container 6.

The continuous contact between metering roll 60 and transfer roll 76 also improves the uniformity of ink transferred to the transfer roll. More specifically, the transfer roller 26 of the prior art inking assembly slips and accelerates or decelerates when in contact with the prior art transfer roller 28, which results in uneven coating of ink on the surface of the transfer roller. Furthermore, the prior art transfer roller 26 is only in intermittent contact with the transfer roller 28 such that the outer surface of the transfer roller intermittently receives ink. In contrast, metering roller 60 of the present disclosure transfers a uniform layer of ink to transfer roller 76 substantially constantly.

Furthermore, the continuous contact of the metering roll 60 with the transfer roll 76 means that the transfer roll is not subjected to force or impact from the metering roll 60 during trimming operations. In contrast, prior art transfer roller 26 strikes transfer roller 28 at a rate of 20 to 30 times per minute, as described herein. The force of each strike of the transfer roller by the transfer roller can be transmitted downstream to the printing plate as a vibration or "dead roller shock", which degrades the quality of the ink image formed on the printing plate.

In one embodiment, as generally shown in FIG. 3 , metering roll 60 and transfer roll 76 are interconnected to frame 78A. Frame 78A keeps the spacing between metering roll 60 and transfer roll 76 constant. More specifically, frame 78A maintains shaft 62 of metering roll 60 and shaft 77 of transfer roll 76 at a fixed distance. Accordingly, the metering roll 60 of one embodiment may remain in continuous contact with the transfer roll 76 while in the second dwell position 68 . In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 74 is configured to rotate the metering roller 60 about a pivot point, such as the axis 77 of the transfer roller 76 .

Alternatively, referring again to FIG. 8 , in another embodiment, when the adjustment mechanism 74 moves the metering roller 60 to the second dwell position 68 , the metering roller 60 is separated from the transfer roller 76 by a third distance 80 . The third distance 80 defines a second gap 82 between the metering roller 60 and the transfer roller 76 . Thus, the transfer of ink 22 from metering roller 60 to transfer roller 76 is interrupted at second dwell position 68 . Additionally, in the second dwell position 68 of the embodiment of FIG. 8 , the metering roll 60 receives no rotational force from the transfer roll 76 . The metering roller 60 can thus stop rotating in the second rest position 68 .

In one embodiment, third distance 80 is at least approximately 0.03 inches. In another embodiment, the third distance is less than about 0.1 inches. Optionally, the third distance may be between about 0.03 inches and about 0.30 inches.

In one embodiment, the axis 62 of the metering roller 60 is substantially parallel to the axis 57 of the ink roller 56 and the axis 77 of the transfer roller 76 . As generally shown in FIG. 8 , the axis 57 of the ink roller and the axis 77 of the transfer roller define a first plane 79 . In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 74 is configured to move the shaft 62 of the metering roller 60 transverse to the first plane 79 . In another embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 74 may move the metering roller shaft 62 substantially perpendicularly relative to the first plane 79 .

In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 74 moves the shaft 62 of the metering roller 60 away from the first plane 79 when moving the metering roller to the second dwell position 68 . Alternatively or additionally, the adjustment mechanism may move the shaft 62 of the metering roller 60 toward the first plane 79 when moving the metering roller to the first ink transfer position 66 .

Alternatively or additionally, in one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 74 moves the axis 62 of the metering roller 60 away from the axis 57 of the ink roller 56 to move the metering roller from the first ink transfer position 66 to the second dwell position 68 . Optionally, the adjustment mechanism 74 moves the shaft 62 of the metering roller 60 away from the shaft 77 of the transfer roller 76 to move the metering roller from the first ink transfer position 66 to the second dwell position 68 .

Alternatively, in another embodiment, the distance between the axis 62 of the metering roller 60 and the axis 77 of the transfer roller 76 is fixed, and the adjustment mechanism 74 moves the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position , the distance does not change.

In one embodiment, the first drive element 58 is configured to rotate the ink roller 56 only when the metering roller 60 is in the first ink transfer position 66 . Thus, when the metering roller is in the second dwell position 68, the first drive member 58 may stop providing rotational force to the ink roller.

In another embodiment, the second drive element 84 is configured to rotate the transfer roller 76 only when the metering roller 60 is in the first ink transfer position 66 . Accordingly, the second drive element 84 may not provide rotational force to the transfer roller 76 while the metering roller 60 is in the second dwell position 68 .

Referring now to FIG. 9 , one embodiment of a control system 90 of the present disclosure is generally shown. More specifically, FIG. 9 generally illustrates one embodiment of a control system 90 of the present disclosure operable to control the elements of the inking assembly 46 of the present disclosure. Control system 90 is generally shown having hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via bus 92 . The hardware elements may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) 94; one or more input devices 96 (eg, mouse, keyboard, etc.); and one or more output devices 98 (eg, display devices, printers, etc.). The control system 90 may also include one or more storage devices 100 . In one embodiment, storage device 100 may be a magnetic disk drive, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage device such as random access memory ("RAM"), and/or read-only memory ("ROM"), which may be Programmable, flash updateable, etc.

The control system 90 may also include one or more of the following devices: a computer readable storage medium reader 102; a communication system 104 (such as a modem, network card (wireless or wired), infrared communication device, etc.); and working memory 106. The working memory 126 may include RAM and ROM devices as described above. In some embodiments, the control system 90 may further include a processing acceleration unit 108, which may include a digital signal processor (DSP), a dedicated processor, or the like. Optionally, the control system 90 may further include a database 110 .

Computer-readable storage medium reader 102 may also be connected to computer-readable storage media, which together (and optionally in combination with storage device 100) collectively represent remote, local, fixed, and/or removable storage and for temporary and and/or storage media that more permanently contain computer-readable information. Communication system 104 may allow data to be exchanged with network 112 and/or any other data processing device. Alternatively, control system 90 may access data stored in a remote storage device, such as database 114 , via a connection to network 112 . In one embodiment, network 112 may be the Internet.

Control system 90 may also include software elements, shown here as located within working memory 106 . The software elements may include an operating system 116 and/or other code 118, such as program code that implements one or more methods and aspects of the present invention.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that alternative embodiments of the control system 90 may have variations other than those described above. For example, custom hardware could also be used and/or particular elements could be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets), or both. Additionally, connections to other computing devices (eg, network input/output devices) may be employed.

In one embodiment, control system 90 is a personal computer, such as, but not limited to, a personal computer running the Microsoft Windows operating system. Alternatively, control system 90 may be a smartphone, tablet computer, laptop computer, and similar computing device. In one embodiment, control system 90 is a data processing system that includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: at least one input device (such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch screen); an output device (such as display, speakers); graphics card; communication device (such as an Ethernet card or wireless communication device); permanent storage (such as a hard drive); temporary storage (such as random access memory); storage in a computer in permanent and/or temporary storage instructions; and processors. Control system 90 may be any programmable logic controller (PLC). An example of a suitable PLC is the Controllogix PLC manufactured by Rockwell Automation, Inc., although other PLCs are also contemplated for use with embodiments of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the control system 90 is in communication with one or more inking assemblies 46 of the decorator 44 of the present disclosure. Optionally, control system 90 may send instructions to one or more of actuators 52 associated with ink blade 50, first drive element 58, adjustment mechanism 74, and second drive element 84 to adjust the The amount of ink 22 transferred to the metal container 6 during decoration.

Alternatively or additionally, control system 90 may receive information from sensors of the decorator. For example, control system 90 may receive information from position sensor 54 associated with ink blade 50 .

Control system 90 may also receive data from sensors of the inspection system. For example, the control system may receive data from sensor 120A associated with metering roll 60 . In one embodiment, sensor 120A collects data on the ink on the metering roller. Sensor 120A can determine the thickness of the ink on the metering roller. In this manner, if data from sensor 120 indicates that the amount of ink on metering roller 60 is inappropriate (eg, too much or too little ink 22), control system 90 may send a signal to one or more elements of inking assembly 46, To adjust the amount of ink transferred from the ink roller to the transfer roller.

Optionally, the control system 90 may send a signal to the actuator 52 of the ink blade 50 to move the ink blade closer or further away from the ink roller 56 as well. In this way, the control system can increase or decrease the thickness of the ink on the ink roller to vary the amount of ink transferred to the metering roller 60 .

Alternatively or additionally, control system 90 may send a signal to first drive element 58 to vary the rotational speed of ink roller 56 . By increasing the rotational speed of the ink roller, the control system can increase the amount of ink transferred to the metering roller 60 . Alternatively, control system 90 may reduce the amount of ink 22 transferred to metering roller 60 by reducing the rotational speed of ink roller 56 .

Alternatively or additionally, control system 90 may send a signal to adjustment mechanism 74 to adjust gap 64 and first distance 70 between metering roller 60 and ink roller 56 to adjust the amount of ink the metering roller receives from the ink roller. For example, by increasing first distance 70 , the control system may reduce the amount of ink transferred from the ink roller to metering roller 60 . Alternatively, control system 90 may increase the amount of ink 22 transferred to metering roller 60 by reducing the size of first distance 70 and gap 64A.

The inspection system may also include a sensor 120B configured to collect data on the decoration formed on the exterior surface of the metal container 6B decorated by the decorator 44 . Examples of inspection systems that may be used in conjunction with the inking assembly 46 and decorator 44 of the present disclosure are generally described in U.S. Patent 9,862,204, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2012/0216689, and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0257692, which are incorporated by reference in their entirety combined here.

Accordingly, control system 90 may receive data from one or more sensors associated with decorated metal container 6B. For example, in one embodiment, the decorator includes a sensor 120B located downstream of the support member 88 . The sensor 120B is oriented to collect data regarding the decoration formed on the cylindrical outer surface of the decorated metal container 6B. Alternatively, although FIG. 8 shows only one sensor 120B, the decorator 44 may include multiple sensors 120 to collect data for all cylinders of the metal container substantially simultaneously. For example, decorator 44 may include two to five sensors 120 arranged about the longitudinal axis of the container.

In one embodiment, a light 122 is associated with the sensor 120 to illuminate the decorated metal container 6B. In one embodiment, the lamp 122 includes at least one of an incandescent lamp, a light emitting diode, a high intensity lamp, a laser, a fluorescent lamp, a xenon flash lamp, and an arc discharge lamp. Lamp 122 may be selected to produce illumination of a predetermined wavelength based on the requirements of sensor 120 . In one embodiment, the light is arranged at an angle relative to the sensor. In this way, the light 122 can illuminate the metal container at an angle relative to the sensor. In one embodiment, the light 122 is angled between about 1° and about 10° relative to the boresight of the sensor. Alternatively, the lamp may be at an angle of 1° to about 90° relative to the boresight of the sensor.

The sensor 120B is operable to collect data regarding the density of the decoration. In one embodiment, sensor 120 is calibrated to NIST color standards. Optionally, the sensor may output data for trim colors in one or more color standards defined by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), including CIE XYZ, CIE LAB, CMYK, and CIERGB. Alternatively or additionally, sensor 120 may optionally divide or describe the color profile of incident visible light into up to approximately 1024 data points. In another embodiment, the sensor 120 may measure a change or difference between a target color of the decoration (eg, a target value of a color in one of the color spaces) and the ink color of the decoration on the metal container 6B being decorated. The color change can be expressed by the sensor as CIEΔE (or "Delta E").

In one embodiment, sensor 120 is a spectrophotometer. Alternatively or additionally, sensor 120 may be a camera. Other suitable sensors are known to those skilled in the art.

Using data from one or more sensors, control system 90 may determine whether the decoration on the metal container being decorated is defective or satisfactory. More specifically, control system 90 may determine whether the decor meets at least goals corresponding to one or more parameters, such as color, density, depth, and consistency. The target may be set by a user or an operator of the decorator 44 . One or more parameters may include a target range. At least the trim parameter is acceptable if the sensor data associated with the parameter falls within the lower and upper limits of the range. In one embodiment, where the decoration on the decorated metal container 6B fails to meet one or more objectives, the decoration is defective.

In one embodiment, the control system 90 includes a density measurement module and an image processing module. The densitometric module and image processing module may be software elements stored in memory 106 as other code 118 .

The density measurement module includes instructions for using data received from sensor 120 to determine the density of the different inks used to form the decoration on the metal container. More specifically, the density measurement module may calculate the density value as the arithmetic mean of the RGB components of the pixels in the decoration image collected by the sensor. The density difference between the density at each position or pixel and the density of the main image at the corresponding position or pixel can be obtained as RGB components.

In one embodiment, the image processing module may perform a pixel-by-pixel comparison of the trim image obtained by the sensor with a satisfactory trim image. An image of a satisfactory decoration may be stored in a database 110 of the control system 90 or in a database 114 accessible through a network 112 .

The control system 90 may compare the data from the sensors to the trim targets. In one embodiment, the control system 90 compares the data received from the sensors associated with the trim image to a target level for the corresponding portion of the trim. In this way, the control system 90 can determine whether one or more of color, density, depth (or thickness), registration, and consistency of each portion of the decoration is consistent with the target value or position of each portion of the decoration. different. If the sensor data for a portion of the trim differs from one or more target values, the control system 90 may determine that the trim is defective.

In the event that the control system 90 determines that the density of a certain color of ink is too low, the control system may send a signal to the inking assembly 46 associated with the too low density color to increase the amount of ink transferred to the associated plate . Alternatively, where the control system determines that the density of a color is too high, the control system may send a signal to the associated inking assembly 46 to reduce the amount of ink transferred to the associated printing plate. Decorator 44 may optionally have from 4 to 12 inking assemblies 46, each of which may apply a color or type of ink to an associated printing plate.

When control system 90 determines that the decoration of decorated metal container 6B is defective, control system 90 may optionally determine whether the defect can be eliminated or reduced by adjusting the components of inking assembly 46 of the present disclosure. The control system 90 may determine that the defective decoration is caused by an improper amount of ink 22 being transferred from the inking assembly 46 to the metal container 6 . In response, the control system may send a signal to one or more components of the upper ink assembly 46 to vary the amount of ink transferred to subsequent metal containers 6 . For example, the control system may vary the amount of ink transferred to the metal container by the inking assembly 46 by sending a signal to one or more of: (1) an actuator for changing the position of the ink blade 50 52; (2) the first driving element 58 for changing the rotating speed of the ink roller 56; (3) the adjusting mechanism 74 for changing the first distance 70 of the gap 64 separating the metering roller 60 and the ink roller 56; and (4 ) A second drive element 84 for varying the rotational speeds of the transfer roller 76 and the metering roller 60 .

Although a number of embodiments of the decorator of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to these embodiments. It should be clearly understood that such modifications and variations are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology used herein is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of the words "comprising", "including" or "having" and their conjugations is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents, as well as additional items.

As used herein, the term "automatic" and variations thereof refer to any process or operation that can be accomplished without substantial human input. However, even if performance of a process or operation is with substantive or insubstantial human input, a process or operation can be automatic if that input is received prior to performance of the process or operation. Human input is considered "substantial" if it affects the performance of the process or operation. Human input that aids in the performance of a process or operation is not considered "substantial."

As used herein, the term "bus" and variations thereof may refer to a subsystem that transfers information and/or data between various components. A bus generally refers to a collection of communication hardware interfaces, interconnects, bus architectures, standards and/or protocols that define the communication scheme of a communication system and/or communication network. A bus may also refer to that portion of communications hardware that interfaces the communications hardware with other components of a corresponding communications network. A bus can refer to a wired network (eg, a physical bus) or a wireless network (eg, part of an antenna or hardware coupling communication hardware to an antenna). A bus architecture supports a defined information and/or data arrangement format used in sending and receiving information and/or data over a communications network. Protocols define the communication formats and rules of the bus architecture.

"Communication Mode" may refer to a communication session or interaction defined or specific by any protocol or standard, such as VoIP ("VoIP"), cellular communication (e.g. IS-95, 1G, 2G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, 4G /IMT-Advanced Standard, 3GPP, WIMAX ^TM , GSM, CDMA, CDMA2000, EDGE, 1xEVDO, iDEN, GPRS, HSPDA, TDMA, UMA, UMTS, ITU-R and 5G), Bluetooth ^TM , text or instant messaging (such as AIM , Blauk, eBuddy, Gadu-Gadu, IBM Lotus Sametime, ICQ, iMessage, IMVU, Lync, MXit, Paltalk, Skype, Tencent QQ, Windows Live Messenger ^TM or Microsoft Network (MSN) Messenger ^TM , Wireclub, Xfire and Yahoo! Messenger ^TM ), email, Twitter (e.g. tweeting), Digital Service Protocol (DSP), etc.

As used herein, the term "communication system" or "communication network" and variations thereof may refer to any system capable of transmitting, relaying, interconnecting, controlling or otherwise manipulating information or data from at least one transmitter to at least one receiver A collection of communication components for one or more operations. As such, communications may include a range of systems that support point-to-point transfer or broadcast of information or data. A communications system may refer to a collection of individual communications hardware and the interconnects associated with and connecting the various communications hardware. Communications hardware may refer to dedicated communications hardware, or may refer to a processor coupled to a communications device (ie, an antenna) and running software capable of using the communications device to send and/or receive signals within a communications system. An interconnect refers to some type of wired or wireless communication link that connects various components (eg, communication hardware) within a communication system. A communication network may refer to a specific setup of a communication system in which a collection of individual communication hardware and interconnections has some definable network topology. Communication networks may include wired and/or wireless networks preset as ad hoc network structures.

The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein refers to any tangible storage and/or transmission medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer readable media include, for example, floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic media, magneto-optical media, read-only memory (ROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), any other optical media, punched cards, paper Tape, any other physical medium with a hole pattern, Random Access Memory (RAM), Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) and Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), FLASH-EPROM, solid state like memory cards media, any other memory chip or cartridge, carrier waves as described below, or any other computer-readable media. Digital file attachments to e-mail or other self-contained information archives or collections are considered distribution media equivalent to tangible storage media. Where the computer-readable medium is configured as a database, it should be understood that the database may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and the like. Accordingly, the present disclosure is deemed to include a tangible storage medium or distribution medium storing a software implementation of the present disclosure, as well as equivalent and successor media recognized in the art. It should be noted that any computer-readable medium that is not a signal transmission medium can be considered non-transitory.

As used herein, the term "display" and variations thereof are used interchangeably and may be any panel and/or area of an output device capable of displaying information to an operator or user. Displays may include, but are not limited to, one or more control panels, gauge housings, indicators, gauges, lights, computers, screens, display screens, heads-up display (HUD) devices, and graphical user interfaces.

The term "module" as used herein refers to any known or later developed hardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, or combination of hardware and software capable of performing the function associated with that element.

The term "desktop" refers to a metaphor used to describe the system. The desktop is generally considered a "surface" that may include pictures that activate and/or display applications, windows, cabinets, files, folders, documents and other graphical items known as icons, widgets, folder etc. Icons are typically selectable to initiate tasks through user interface interactions, allowing the user to execute applications and/or perform other operations.

The term "displayed image" refers to an image produced on a display screen. Typical displayed images are windows or the desktop. The displayed image can occupy all or part of the display screen.

The term "electronic address" may refer to any contactable address, including telephone numbers, instant message handles, email addresses, uniform resource locators ("URLs"), globally universal identifiers ("GUIDs"), universal resource identifiers ( "URI"), address of record ("AOR"), electronic alias in a database, etc., and combinations thereof.

The terms "screen," "touch screen," or "touch-sensitive display" refer to a physical structure that enables a user to interact with a computer by touching areas on the screen and provides information to the user through the display. Touch screens can sense user contact in a number of different ways, such as through changes in electrical parameters (such as resistance or capacitance), changes in sound waves, infrared radiation proximity detection, light change detection, and the like. For example, in a resistive touch screen, generally separate layers of conductive and resistive metal in the screen pass electrical current. When the user touches the screen, the two layers come into contact with each other at the location of the contact, recording the change in the electric field and calculating the coordinates of the contact location. In a capacitive touch screen, a capacitive layer stores charges, and when the user touches the touch screen, the charges are released to the user, resulting in a reduction in the charge of the capacitive layer. Measure the reduction and determine the coordinates of the contact location. In a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, sound waves are transmitted through the screen, and the sound waves are disturbed by user contact. The receiving transducer detects user touch and determines the coordinates of the touch location.

The term "window" refers to a generally rectangular image displayed on at least a portion of a display screen that contains or provides different content than the rest of the screen. Windows may obscure the desktop. The size and orientation of the window can be configured by another module or by the user. When a window is expanded, the window can occupy substantially all of the display space on one or more screens.

As used herein, the terms "determine", "calculate", "operate" and variations thereof are used interchangeably and include any type of method, procedure, mathematical operation or technique.

Although the exemplary aspects, embodiments, options, and/or configurations shown herein show various collocated system components, certain components of the system may be located in remote locations, on a distributed network such as a local area network (LAN ) and/or remote parts of the Internet), or within a dedicated system. Accordingly, it should be understood that components of the system may be combined into one or more devices (e.g., personal computer (PC), laptop, netbook, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet, etc.), or collocated in a distributed A specific node of a network such as an analog and/or digital telecommunications network, a packet-switched network or a circuit-switched network. It will be appreciated from the foregoing description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, that the components of the system may be arranged anywhere in the distributed network of components that does not affect the operation of the system. For example, various components may be located in a switch such as a private branch exchange (PBX), a media server and gateway, one or more communication devices, one or more user facilities, or some combination thereof. Similarly, one or more functional portions of the system may be distributed between the telecommunications device and the associated computing device.

Furthermore, it should be understood that the various links connecting the elements may be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof, or any other means capable of providing data to and/or transferring data from the connected elements known or future developed components. These wired or wireless links can also be secure links and be able to transmit encrypted information. For example, the transmission medium used as a link may be any suitable electrical signal carrier, including coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, and may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications or light waves.

Alternatively, the systems and methods of the present disclosure may incorporate special purpose computers, programmed microprocessors or microcontrollers and peripheral integrated circuit elements, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or other integrated circuits, digital signal processors, hardwired electronics or Logic circuits (such as discrete component circuits), programmable logic devices or gate arrays (such as PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL), special purpose computers, any similar devices, etc. In general, any apparatus or apparatus capable of implementing the methods presented herein may be used to implement the various aspects of the present disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can be used with the disclosed embodiments, configurations, and aspects includes computers, handheld devices, telephones (eg, cellular phones, Internet phones, digital phones, analog phones, hybrid phones, etc.), and other hardware known in the art. Some of these devices include processors (eg, single or multiple microprocessors), memory, non-volatile storage, input devices, and output devices. Furthermore, alternative software implementations (including but not limited to distributed processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing) can also be constructed to implement the methods described herein.

In one embodiment, the disclosed methods are readily implemented in conjunction with software using an object or object-oriented software development environment that provides portable source code for use on a variety of computer or workstation platforms. Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially or fully in hardware using standard logic circuits or Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) design. Whether software or hardware is used to implement the systems of the present disclosure depends upon the speed and/or efficiency requirements of the system, the particular functionality, and the particular software or hardware system or microprocessor or microcomputer system being used.

或计算机生成图像(CGI)脚本)，实现为驻留在服务器或计算机工作站上的资源，实现为嵌入在专用测量系统、系统组件等之中的例程。所述系统也可通过将该系统和/或方法物理地结合到软件和/或硬件系统中来实现。In another embodiment, the disclosed method can be partially realized by software, and the software can be stored on a storage medium, and executed on a programmed general-purpose computer through the cooperation of a controller and memory, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, and the like. In these cases, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can be implemented as programs (e.g., applets,

or Computer Generated Graphics (CGI) scripts), implemented as a resource residing on a server or computer workstation, implemented as a routine embedded in a dedicated measurement system, system component, etc. The system may also be implemented by physically incorporating the system and/or method into a software and/or hardware system.

Although this disclosure describes components and functions implemented in aspects, embodiments and/or configurations with reference to particular standards and protocols, these aspects, embodiments and/or configurations are not limited to such standards and protocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned here also exist and are considered to be included in this disclosure. Furthermore, from time to time, the standards and protocols mentioned here, and other similar standards and protocols not mentioned here, are superseded by faster or more efficient equivalent standards and protocols having substantially the same functionality. Such alternative standards and protocols having the same function are considered equivalent standards and protocols to be included in this disclosure.

800和801以及

610和615处理器、采用64位架构的

A7处理器、

M7运动协处理器、

系列处理器、

系列处理器、

系列处理器、

系列处理器、

系列处理器、

i5-4670K和i7-4770K 22纳米Haswell处理器、

i5-3570K22纳米Ivy Bridge处理器、

FX^TM系列处理器、

FX-4300、FX-6300和FX-835032纳米Vishera处理器、

Kaveri处理器、

Jacinto C6000^TM汽车信息娱乐处理器、

OMAP^TM汽车级移动处理器、

Cortex^TM-M处理器、

Cortex-A和ARM926EJ-S^TM处理器以及其它的行业同等处理器之中的至少一种，并且可使用任何已知的或将来开发的标准、指令集、库和/或架构执行计算功能。Examples of processors described herein may include, but are not limited to, integrated 4G LTE and capable of 64-bit computing

800 and 801 and

610 and 615 processors with 64-bit architecture

A7 processor,

M7 motion coprocessor,

series processors,

series processors,

series processors,

series processors,

series processors,

i5-4670K and i7-4770K 22nm Haswell processors,

i5-3570K22nm Ivy Bridge processor,

FX ^TM series processors,

FX-4300, FX-6300 and FX-835032nm Vishera processors,

Kaveri processor,

Jacinto C6000 ^TM automotive infotainment processor,

OMAP ^TM automotive-grade mobile processors,

^CortexTM -M processor,

At least one of the Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S ^TM processors and other industry equivalent processors, and may use any known or future developed standards, instruction sets, libraries and/or architectures to perform computing functions.

In various aspects, embodiments and/or configurations, the present disclosure includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or devices, including various aspects, embodiments, configuration embodiments, subcombinations, substantially as shown and described herein and/or a subset thereof. After understanding the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments and/or configurations. The present disclosure includes, in various aspects, embodiments and/or configurations, providing apparatus and processes in the absence of items not shown and/or described herein or in various aspects, embodiments and/or configurations of the present disclosure, Include the absence of items that may have been used in previous equipment or processes to improve performance, achieve ease of use, and/or reduce implementation cost.

Claims (20)

1. An inking assembly for a decorator configured to decorate an exterior surface of a metal container, comprising:

an ink tank for providing an ink supply;

an ink roller for receiving ink from the ink tank;

a first drive element configured to rotate the inker roller at a predetermined speed;

a metering roller having a first ink transfer position in which the metering roller receives ink from the ink roller and a second dwell position in which the metering roller does not receive ink from the ink roller, wherein in the first ink transfer position the metering roller is spaced from the ink roller by a first distance, wherein the first distance is no greater than a first thickness of ink on the ink roller;

an adjustment mechanism associated with the metering roller that maintains a gap between the metering roller and the ink roller of at least 0.002 inches when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position, the adjustment mechanism configured to move the metering roller to adjust the gap between a first distance corresponding to the first ink thickness and a second distance corresponding to the second ink thickness, the adjustment mechanism configured to move the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to a second dwell position in which the metering roller is spaced from the ink roller by a third distance greater than the first distance; and a transfer roller located downstream of the metering roller, wherein in the first ink transfer position the metering roller is in continuous contact with the transfer roller and transfers ink to the transfer roller, wherein the adjustment mechanism is operable to move the axial direction of the metering roller away from the axis of the inker and away from the axis of the transfer roller to transfer the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position.

2. The inking assembly of claim 1, wherein the third distance is at least 0.045 inches.

3. The inking assembly of claim 1, wherein the ink tank further comprises:

a plurality of ink wiper blades; and

an actuator associated with each ink blade of the plurality of ink blades, each actuator configured to move the associated ink blade relative to the inker to adjust an amount of ink received by the inker such that a thickness of ink on the inker is less than 0.04 inches.

4. The inking assembly of claim 1, further comprising a control system operable to signal the adjustment mechanism to move the metering roller from the second distance to the first distance closer to the inker roller to increase the amount of ink transferred to the transfer roller when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position.

5. The inking assembly of claim 1, wherein in the second dwell position, the metering roller does not contact or transfer ink to the transfer roller.

6. The inking assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second drive element configured to rotate the transfer roller, wherein the metering roller rotates at a second rotational speed in response to receiving a force from the transfer roller when in the first ink transfer position, and wherein the second rotational speed of the metering roller is unaffected by the first rotational speed of the ink roller.

7. The inking assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second drive element configured to rotate the transfer roller, wherein the metering roller rotates in response to a force received from the transfer roller when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position, and wherein the second drive element is operable to rotate the metering roller at a second rotational speed that is at least equal to the first rotational speed of the inker roller.

8. The inking assembly of claim 1, wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to maintain the metering roller in the first ink transfer position for continuous contact with the transfer roller while the metering roller is not in contact with the inker roller during decorating.

9. The inking assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of intermediate rollers downstream of the transfer roller, wherein the plurality of intermediate rollers are configured to transfer ink from the transfer roller to a cliche on a cliche cylinder of a decorator, and wherein the cliche is operable to transfer ink to a transfer blanket on a blanket cylinder of the decorator to decorate an exterior surface of the metal container with ink.

10. The inking assembly of claim 9, wherein the plurality of intermediate rollers includes at least one of a second transfer roller, a third transfer roller, a first oscillation roller, a second oscillation roller, a form roller, and a distribution roller, wherein the at least one of the plurality of intermediate rollers is configured to contact the transfer roller, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of intermediate rollers is configured to contact the printing plate.

11. A method of decorating an exterior surface of a container using an inking assembly of a decorating machine, comprising:

providing an ink tank having an ink supply;

providing an ink roller to receive ink from the ink tank;

providing a metering roller downstream of the ink roller;

providing an adjustment mechanism configured to move the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position;

providing a transfer roll downstream of the metering roll;

providing a plate cylinder having a printing plate downstream of the transfer roller;

moving the metering roller to a first ink transfer position using an adjustment mechanism by moving the axis of the metering roller closer to the axis of the transfer roller and the axis of the inker such that the metering roller receives ink from the inker and transfers ink onto the transfer roller, wherein in the first ink transfer position the metering roller is not in contact with the inker but is spaced a first distance from the inker to form an ink gap, and wherein in the first ink transfer position the adjustment mechanism maintains the metering roller in continuous contact with the transfer roller, and wherein when in the first ink transfer position the adjustment mechanism is further configured to move the metering roller to adjust the ink gap between a first distance corresponding to a first ink thickness and a second distance corresponding to a second ink thickness; transferring ink from the transfer roll to a printing plate via an intermediate roll;

transferring the ink from the plate to a transfer blanket secured to a blanket wheel of a decorator;

transferring ink from the transfer blanket to the outer surface of the container; and is

The adjustment mechanism is actuated to transfer the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position by moving the axial direction of the metering roller away from the axis of the transfer roller and away from the axis of the ink roller.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein moving the metering roller to the first ink transfer position includes actuating the adjustment mechanism such that a first distance between the metering roller and the inker roller is at least 0.002 inches during ink transfer to the printing plate, and wherein moving the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position interrupts ink transfer to the printing plate.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein in the second stop position, the metering roller is spaced from the ink roller by a third distance that is greater than the first distance, and wherein in the second stop position, the metering roller is spaced from the transfer roller by a predetermined fourth distance such that the metering roller does not contact or transfer ink to the transfer roller.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising adjusting a size of an ink gap between the ink roller and the metering roller when the metering roller is in the first ink transfer position to vary an amount of ink transferred to the transfer roller, wherein adjusting the size of the ink gap includes the adjustment mechanism moving the inker roller between 0.002 inches and 0.05 inches from the metering roller.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising increasing the rotational speed of the inker roll to increase the amount of ink transferred to the printing plate, wherein decreasing the rotational speed of the inker roll decreases the amount of ink transferred to the printing plate, and wherein when the metering roll is in the first ink transfer position, the inker roll is driven at a first speed and the transfer roll is driven at a second speed different from the first speed.

16. The inking assembly of claim 1, wherein the metering roller has a cylindrical body with an outer surface made of a rubber, plastic, ceramic, or metal material.

17. The inking assembly of claim 1, wherein the metering roller has a cylindrical body with grooves, knurls or cross-hatching on its outer surface or is smooth.

18. The inking assembly of claim 10, wherein the metering roller shaft is supported at one or more of the first and second ends.

19. The inking assembly of claim 1, wherein the adjustment mechanism includes one or more of a gear, a lever, and a shaft operatively engaged to the metering roller shaft, and wherein the adjustment mechanism and the metering roller shaft are interconnected to a frame adapted to receive the inker roller and the transfer roller.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

actuating the first drive element such that the ink roller rotates at a first rotational speed; and

the second drive element is actuated such that in the first ink transfer position the metering roller rotates at a second rotational speed that is at least equal to the first rotational speed of the ink roller.

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